Familiar scripts were followed Sunday by both teams at Qualcomm Stadium, the Denver Broncos following theirs to a fourth straight victory and the Chargers adhering to their commitment to ridiculousness en route to a sixth straight defeat.

“It comes down to making plays at the right time,” safety Paul Oliver said. “… We had opportunities to win. You know, same old story from the last few weeks.”

Yes, Denver quarterback Tim Tebow took advantage of another opportunity afforded by his defense (and Nick Novak’s long field goal misses) to help the Broncos to a 16-13 victory in overtime.

Once again, though, the Chargers have to live with a Sunday of sloppiness that has led to a season not seen here since the early in this millennium.

The offense sustained only one drive and gave away the kinds of opportunities that are almost always costly. The defense mixed dominance with self-destruction.

As in all the Chargers’ losses, the good didn’t matter because they blew it in key moments.

When the losses come late and/or by one score, as all but one of the six in a row have, it doesn’t take much.

“You got to make plays in crucial times because that’s what this game is about,” linebacker Takeo Spikes said. “If you go through any game, any big game, it’s always about four to five plays that kind of turn the tides. At times we made them, at times we didn’t.”

More of the latter, at least as far as it mattered.

Quarterback Philip Rivers being forced to scramble on a third-and-5 and having to throw the ball away, leaving the Chargers to settle for a field goal on the opening drive.

A receiver failing to adjust his route on a blitz and the Chargers ending up punting after starting on the Denver 44-yard line.

Rivers being sacked for a 13-yard loss on first down as the Chargers launched another attempt to extend a lead late in the first half.

The Chargers forcing a fumble, picking it up and then giving it back to the Broncos, who scored two plays later when one defender fell for a double move and a second defender fell down.

The Chargers having first-and-goal at the 9-yard line before having to move back 10 yards due to a holding call, leading to another disappointing field goal.

The Broncos converting third-and-5 twice en route to a third-quarter field goal and third-and-11 to get close enough for a tying fourth-quarter field goal.

Chargers defenders going one way while Denver running back Willis McGahee went another for 24 yards to set up the Broncos’ winning field goal in overtime.

For each, there was an explanation, a mistake.

“Unnecessary mistakes,” Phillips said. “That’s what kind of gets under my skin. It’s like, when you’re a mature football team you can’t keep making these mistakes. Whether it’s communication … or it’s a negative yards play, you know what I mean, something. One thing I was taught at a young age is, all sports, basketball, football, you eliminate turnovers and you don’t make mistakes, you have a chance to win every single game. And those are things we tend to do over and over again.

“We keep doing the same old caca, then you’re going to keep getting caca.”